Gronkowski is on top of world

After amazing few months, tight end enters new season healthy, hungry

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – He sang with David Ortiz about their mutual love of iced coffee. He rapped with a Georgia band about hot chicks and crocodiles – or something like that. He partied in Las Vegas. He went to the Kentucky Derby, was a visitor to late-night TV shows and appeared in a WWE promo. He picked up his first Super Bowl championship ring. He wrote a book titled – what else? -- It’s Good to be Gronk.

And that’s all just in the last few months. Yes, it is good to be Rob Gronkowski. But it’s really good to be a healthy Gronkowski, at least as far as the New England Patriots are concerned. Members of opposing defenses don’t share their enthusiasm.

Gronkowski, who turned 26 in May, is arguably better at his job than any other NFL tight end. Since being drafted in the second round out of Arizona with the 42nd overall pick in 2010, Gronkowski has become one of the most feared offensive weapons in the game.

His presence on the field, all 6-6 and 265 punishing pounds of him, can change the tenor of a game. Too often over the last few seasons, though, it had been his absence from the field that had changed the game.

Between 2012 and 2013, Gronkowski had played in 18 of 32 regular-season games. In 2013, he was limited to six seven games by multiple injuries, including a broken arm and subsequent infections, a back injury, and finally torn right knee ligaments Dec. 8 that ended his season.

Before the injuries began to pile up, Gronkowski had established himself as one of the toughest tight ends in the game. In 2011 he set single-season records for the position with 1,327 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns. His 19 total touchdowns, including one rushing, also set a record, and he had a career-high 90 receptions.

Last season he missed one game, the season finale, primarily for precautionary reasons. In 15 games with 10 starts, he again showed what a fully healthy Gronkowski can do: He became the first tight end in NFL history to produce four 10-plus touchdown seasons. He had 12 total touchdowns last season, including three on Oct. 26 against the Bears, one off New England’s single-game record. His 1,124 receiving yards on 82 receptions with 12 touchdowns last season are behind only his 2011 numbers.

He started and played every offensive snap in the Patriots’ Super Bowl win against the Seattle Seahawks, finishing with six catches for 68 yards and one touchdown. His 22-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter was his sixth career postseason touchdown catch, tied for second most by a tight end in NFL history.

He enters the season riding a streak of 65 games with a reception. He is the first Patriots tight end and the ninth in NFL history with two 1,000-yard seasons and the ninth Patriots player with 300 or more career receptions.

He has caught more touchdown passes (54) than anyone else from quarterback Tom Brady, well ahead of Randy Moss, next at 39. With six touchdown receptions from Brady in the playoffs he is behind only David Givens, with seven. Gronkowski caught both Brady’s 300th and 350th career touchdown passes.

His injury rehab loomed over him and the team throughout the preseason last year, but Gronkowski enters this season healthy and a full participant in preseason workouts.

“It’s an honor just to come out the whole offseason, to come out to practice every single day and work on what I’ve got to work on instead of having to rehab something,” Gronkowski says. “It’s excellent. It’s an amazing feeling just to come out here and get better with the whole team throughout the whole summer.”

This season he is expected to be teamed with another towering tight end, 6-7 Scott Chandler, who joined the Patriots in March.

“He’s a guy who likes to work hard,” Chandler says. “I’m excited about this team and what we could do.”

But with Brady facing a four-game suspension, Gronkowski must quickly build with backup Jimmy Garoppolo, entering his second season, the same kind of rapport he has with the likely Hall of Famer quarterback.

Gronkowski and Garoppolo spent a good deal of time working together during preseason workouts. They two also spent quality time together in the offseason.

“Being in the same environment, same guys around you for the most part, same coaches – we’re lucky to have that here in New England, and it’s only going to help me going forward,” Garoppolo says.

Gronkowski knows he will have a bull’s-eye on him this season – it won’t be only his quarterbacks targeting him.

“You’ve got to come out working hard, stay in shape, not slacking, not looking back thinking it’s all going to come easy,” Gronkowski told the Boston Herald. “It doesn’t come easy.

“You’ve got to keep working hard. You’ve got to keep working at it because there are people catching up. There are people behind you that want to beat you every year. You’ve got to come out and be focused and ready to play every single day.”